Daniel Berrigan
Jesuit Daniel Berrigan, pirest, poet and peacemaker was one of the most influential voices in shaping Catholic thinking about war and peace during the past century. He died on this day in 2016 at the age of 94. Berrigan gained national attention for his work against the Vietnam War, including his participation in a striking act of civil disobedience with his brother, Philip, also a priest at the time, and seven others who became known as the Catonsville Nine. In 1968, the group burned draft records in the parking lot of a Maryland selective service office from which they had taken files. It was one of the most spectacular and high-profile actions of a lifetime of civil disobedience and protest against militarism, nuclear weaponry and U.S. war-making. He was a prolific writer who achieved a remarkable lyricism and poetic force when writing about subjects that normally were explored in academic and military circles. He also plumbed the scriptures and the spiritual depths of the Christian tradition in conducting retreats that challenged the status quo and often upended participants’ presumptions about life in America.1
Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/rd485m56
O people of Sion, behold,
the Lord will come
to save the nations,
and the Lord will make
the glory of his voice
heard in the joy of your heart. Isaiah 30
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires, known,
and from whom no secrets are hid:
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Music: https://tinyurl.com/mb6h9xfa
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Alleluia, alleluia!
HYMN: John L Bell and Graham Maule ©
Tune: The Road to Basrah
1 If the war goes on,
and the children die of hunger,
and the old men weep,
for the young men are no more,
and the women learn
how to dance without a partner,
who will keep the score?
2 If the war goes on,
and the truth is taken hostage,
and new terrors lead
to the need to euphemize;
when the calls for peace
are declared unpatriotic,
who’ll expose the lies?
3 If the war goes on,
and the daily bread is terror,
and the voiceless poor
take the road as refugees;
when a nation’s pride
destines millions to be homeless,
who will heed their pleas?
4 If the war goes on,
and the rich increase their fortunes,
and the arms sales soar
as new weapons are displayed;
when a fertile field
turns to no man’s land tomorrow,
who’ll approve such trade?
5 If the war goes on,
will we close the doors to heaven?
If the war goes on,
will we breach the gates of hell?
If the war goes on,
will we ever be forgiven?
If the war goes on…
PSALMS
Psalm 147 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/w8ysftd)
1 Praise the Lord, for it is a good thing to sing praises unto our God *
yea, a joyful and pleasant thing it is to be thankful.
2 The Lord doth build up Jerusalem *
and gather together the out-casts of Israel.
3 He healeth those that are broken in heart *
and giveth medicine to heal their sickness.
4 He telleth the number of the stars *
and calleth them all by their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and great is his power *
yea, and his wisdom is infinite.
6 The Lord setteth up the meek *
and bringeth the ungodly down to the ground.
7 O sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving *
sing praises upon the harp unto our God;
8 Who covereth the heaven with clouds,
and prepareth rain for the earth *
and maketh the grass to grow upon the mountains,
and herb for the use of men;
9 Who giveth fodder unto the cattle *
and feedeth the young ravens that call upon him.
10 He hath no pleasure in the strength of an horse *
neither delighteth he in any man’s legs.
11 But the Lord’s delight is in them that fear him *
and put their trust in his mercy.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem *
praise thy God, O Sion.
13 For he hath made fast the bars of thy gates *
and hath blessed thy children within thee.
14 He maketh peace in thy borders *
and filleth thee with the flour of wheat.
15 He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth *
and his word runneth very swiftly.
16 He giveth snow like wool *
and scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes.
17 He casteth forth his ice like morsels *
who is able to abide his frost?
18 He sendeth out his word, and melteth them *
he bloweth with his wind, and the waters flow.
19 He sheweth his word unto Jacob *
his statutes and ordinances unto Israel.
20 He hath not dealt so with any nation *
neither have the heathen knowledge of his laws.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost,*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Psalm 147 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-147-Lukan.mp3)
Ant. Sing to our God with thanksgiving;*
Zion, praise your God!*
1 Alleluia! How good it is to praise our God!*
How pleasant and how fitting to sing God’s praise!
2 ADONAI rebuilds Jerusalem and gathers Israel’s exiles.*
3 God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
4 God knows the number of the stars*
and calls each one by name.
5 Great is ADONAI, and mighty in power;*
there is no limit to God’s wisdom.
6 ADONAI lifts up the oppressed,*
and casts the corrupt to the ground.
7 Sing to our God with thanksgiving;*
sing praise with the harp to our God –
8 who covers the heavens with clouds, who provides rain for the earth,*
who makes grass sprout on the mountains
and herbs for the service of the people,
9 who gives food to the cattle,*
and to the young ravens when they cry.
10 God does not thrill to the strength of the horse,*
or revel in the fleetness of humans.
11 ADONAI delights in those who worship with reverence,*
and put their hope in God’s steadfast love.
12 Jerusalem, give glory to ADONAI!*
Zion, praise your God!
13 For God strengthens the bars of your gates,*
and blesses your children within you.
14 God has granted peace within your borders,*
and fills you with the finest wheat.
15 God sends forth a command to the earth – swiftly runs the word!*
16 God spreads snow like wool and scatters frost like ashes.
17 God hurls hail like pebbles –*
who can stand before God’s freezing winds?
18 Then God sends a word and melts them;*
God lets the breeze blow and the waters run again.
19 God’s words have been revealed to the chosen people,*
God’s decrees and laws to Israel.
20 God has not done this with any other nation;*
they do not know God’s law. Alleluia!
Glory to you, O Trinity, most holy and blessed;*
One God, now and forever. Amen.
Ant. Sing to our God with thanksgiving;*
Zion, praise your God!
Psalm 148 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/vjv42mh)
1 O praise the Lord of heaven *
praise him in the height.
2 Praise him, all ye angels of his *
praise him, all his host.
3 Praise him, sun and moon *
praise him, all ye stars and light.
4 Praise him, all ye heavens *
and ye waters that are above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the Name of the Lord *
for he spake the word, and they were made;
he commanded, and they were created.
6 He hath made them fast for ever and ever *
he hath given them a law which shall not be broken.
7 Praise the Lord upon earth *
ye dragons, and all deeps;
8 Fire and hail, snow and vapours *
wind and storm, fulfilling his word;
9 Mountains and all hills *
fruitful trees and all cedars;
10 Beasts and all cattle *
worms and feathered fowls;
11 Kings of the earth and all people *
princes and all judges of the world;
12 Young men and maidens, old men and children,
praise the Name of the Lord *
for his Name only is excellent,
and his praise above heaven and earth.
13 He shall exalt the horn of his people;
all his saints shall praise him *
even the children of Israel,
even the people that serveth him.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost,*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 148
(Temple tone: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-148-Victor.mp3)
1 Praise the Lord from the heavens,
praise him in the heights.
2 Praise him, all his angels,
praise him, all his host.
3 Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, shining stars.
4 Praise him, highest heavens
and the waters above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord.
He commanded: they were made.
6 He fixed them for ever,
gave a law which shall not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
sea creatures and all oceans,
8 fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy winds that obey his word;
9 all mountains and hills,
all fruit trees and cedars,
10 beasts, wild and tame,
reptiles and birds on the wing;
11 all earth’s kings and peoples,
earth’s princes and rulers,
12 young men and maidens,
the old men together with children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord
for he alone is exalted.
The splendor of his name
reaches beyond heaven and earth.
14 He exalts the strength of his people.
He is the praise of all his saints,
of the sons of Israel,
of the people to whom he comes close.
Psalm 149 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/rpojt8q)
1 O sing unto the Lord a new song *
let the congregation of saints praise him.
2 Let Israel rejoice in him that made him *
and let the children of Sion be joyful in their King.
3 Let them praise his Name in the dance *
let them sing praises unto him with tabret and harp.
4 For the Lord hath pleasure in his people *
and helpeth the meek-hearted.
5 Let the saints be joyful with glory *
let them rejoice in their beds.
6 Let the praises of God be in their mouth *
and a two-edged sword in their hands;
7 To be avenged of the heathen *
and to rebuke the people;
8 To bind their kings in chains *
and their nobles with links of iron.
9 That they may be avenged of them, as it is written *
Such honour have all his saints.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost,*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Psalm 149 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-149.mp3)
1 Hallelujah!
Sing to the LORD a new song; *
sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful.
2 Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; *
let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
3 Let them praise his Name in the dance; *
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people *
and adorns the poor with victory.
5 Let the faithful rejoice in triumph; *
let them be joyful on their beds.
6 Let the praises of God be in their throat *
and a two-edged sword in their hand;
7 To wreak vengeance on the nations *
and punishment on the peoples;
8 To bind their kings in chains *
and their nobles with links of iron;
9 To inflict on them the judgment decreed; *
this is glory for all his faithful people.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 150 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/vm5vf4z)
1 O praise God in his holiness *
praise him in the firmament of his power.
2 Praise him in his noble acts *
praise him according to his excellent greatness.
3 Praise him in the sound of the trumpet *
praise him upon the lute and harp.
4 Praise him in the cymbals and dances *
praise him upon the strings and pipe.
5 Praise him upon the well-tuned cymbals *
praise him upon the loud cymbals.
6 Let every thing that hath breath *
praise the Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost,*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Psalm 150 (Karl Kohlhase: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-150-KH.mp3)
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
Praise him in his mighty firmament!
Praise him for his awesome deeds;
Praise him with exceeding greatness!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Praise him with trumpet sound;
Praise him with harp and lute!
Praise him with timbrel and dance;
Praise him with strings and pipe!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Praise him with sounding cymbals;
Praise him with crashing cymbals!
Let everything that breathes,
Praise the LORD!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
PRAYER
God our Maker,
you crown the humble with honor
and exalt the faithful who gather in your name.
Because you have favored us with life,
we dance before you in our joy
and praise you with unending song
for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
Reading: Exodus 17:1-16
From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarrelled with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?’ But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?’ So Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarrelled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’
Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose some men for us and go out; fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.’ So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands grew weary; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; so his hands were steady until the sun set. And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the sword.
Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Write this as a reminder in a book and recite it in the hearing of Joshua: I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.’ And Moses built an altar and called it, The Lord is my banner. He said, ‘A hand upon the banner of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.’
HYMN: Herbert O’Driscoll ©
Tune: Moultrie https://tinyurl.com/457cadce
1 “From the slave pens of the Delta,
from the ghettos on the Nile,
let my people seek their freedom
in the wilderness awhile”:
so God spoke from out of Sinai,
so God spoke and it was done,
and a people crossed the waters
toward the rising of the sun.
2 “From the aging shrines and structures,
from the cloister and the aisle,
let my people seek their freedom
in the wilderness awhile”:
so the Son of God has spoken,
and the storm clouds are unfurled,
for God’s people must be scattered
to be servants in the world.
3 When we murmur on the mountains
for the old Egyptian plains,
when we miss our ancient bondage
and the hope, the promise, wanes;
then the rock shall yield its water
and the manna fall by night,
and with visions of a future
shall we march toward the light.
4 In the maelstrom of the nations,
in the journeying into space,
in the clash of generations,
in the hungering for grace,
in our agony and glory,
we are called to newer ways
by the Lord of our tomorrows
and the God of earth’s todays.
Reading: Revelation 5:1-5
Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals; and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?’ And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’
HYMN: Horatius Bonar
Tune: O quanta qualia https://tinyurl.com/wbrmcyav
1 Blessing and honor and glory and pow’r,
wisdom and riches and strength evermore
give ye to him who our battle hath won,
whose are the kingdom, the crown, and the throne.
2 Soundeth the heav’n of the heav’ns with his name;
ringeth the earth with his glory and fame;
ocean and mountain, stream, forest, and flow’r
echo his praises and tell of his pow’r.
3 Ever ascendeth the song and the joy;
ever descendeth the love from on high;
blessing and honor and glory and praise-—
this is the theme of the hymns that we raise.
4 Give we the glory and praise to the Lamb;
take we the robe and the harp and the palm;
sing we the song of the Lamb that was slain,
dying in weakness, but rising to reign.
Reading: Luke 5:27-32
After this he went out and saw a tax-collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up, left everything, and followed him.
Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax-collectors and others sitting at the table with them. The Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax-collectors and sinners?’ Jesus answered, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance.’
CANTICLE Luke 1:46-55
(Brian Moss: https://tinyurl.com/339zmc65)
Who am I to receive this gift?
A child of heaven and earth
How can I give him my kiss?
I have been blessed and I give praise
To him whose song is age to age
Sing out my soul, sing out my soul
I will rejoice in you, my God, the Mighty One
Sing out my soul, sing out my soul
All glory be to you, Immanuel, the Son of Man
Kings will bow to the least of these
The humble lift – ed up
The poor are filled with good things
Mercy extends to those who fear
The Lord, our God, drawing us near
Sing out my soul, sing out my soul
I will rejoice in you, my God, the Mighty One
Sing out my soul, sing out my soul
All glory be to you, Immanuel, the Son of God
Holy is his name. Holy, holy, holy is his name.
Holy is his name. Holy, holy, holy is his name.
Holy is his name.
Sing out my soul, sing out my soul
I will rejoice in you, my God, the Mighty One
Sing out my soul, sing out my soul
All glory be to you, Immanuel, the Son
All glory be to you, Immanuel, the Son of God with us
THE PRAYERS BCW18
Almighty God,
who taught us to pray not only for ourselves
but for people everywhere,
hear us as we in the name of Jesus Christ.
For the leaders of the world,
that they may put aside their differences
and seek the peace of Christ, we pray:
Have mercy on us.
For the Church,
that we serve one another with a humility
which sets aside hierarchies of power, we pray:
Have mercy on us.
Release us from the curse of stigma
and labels that cast out the unacceptable, we pray:
Have mercy on us.
That we may long for the day
when all may feast at the table of our Lord,
when no one will be an outsider,
and all will be loved, we pray:
Have mercy on us
Setting by Eric Wyse:2
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread;
and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
Almighty God, you have surrounded us with a great cloud of witnesses: Grant that we, encouraged by the good example of your servant Daniel, may persevere in running the race that is set before us, until at last we may with him attain to your eternal joy; through Jesus Christ, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. BCP79
https://tinyurl.com/rkxkpmc
Go in peace, alleluia, alleluia!
Thanks be to God, alleluia, alleluia!
Glory to God whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine:
Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church,
and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21
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BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.
BCW18 The intercession is adapted from Book of Common Worship (2018), Presbyterian Church in the United States of America.
BCP79 The Book of Common Prayer (1979), The Episcopal Church
1 https://www.ncronline.org/news/people/daniel-berrigan-poet-peacemaker-dies-94
The three main scripture readings are from the The New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Edition, The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The reading from John is © Common English Bible, 2012.
The traditional language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern language versions of Psalms 147 is from The Lukan Psalter, Order of St Luke and the chant is from the Lyrical Levites YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC91Z14N9hR9n4Xooq25-Czg/featured). Psalm 148 is from The Grail Psalter and the chant is from the Victor and the Psalter YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkcvDyQp5xxU50I2JN5NgPQ/featured). Psalm 149 is from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and is chanted by Ryland Angel. Psalm 150 is in the version sung by Karl Kohlhase http://www.k4communications.com/karl/index.html.
Musical links are usually either to artists’ albums posted on Spotify or to recordings made available at smallchurchmusic.com. Audio stripped from YouTube videos is footnoted accordingly above.
Compilation © 2022 Stephen T. Benner. All links worked at the time they were created, but I cannot accept responsibility for their content or any damage resulting from their use. The linked content is under the control of the respective content creators and is subject to change at any time. Any copyright texts included in this compilation are provided for non-commercial purposes related to study or worship. Please contact the respective copyright holders for permission to use the texts in other contexts.
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